Modeling of transverse airflow in and around an aircraft fuselage inside a large enclosure

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Abstract

A model for predicting the hangar airflow on the aircraft exterior and interior is presented. The objective was to analyze the amount of air flowing over and inside the aircraft at the time of painting, in order to dry the paint effectively and to avoid possible hazardous effects on the painting crew. A 2D model was simulated for the exterior airflow. Five different sections of the aircraft were considered in simulating the exterior airflow. The angle at which air flows from the diffuser was varied as 0°, 22.5°, 45°. Optimize the air distribution in the hangar area for effective drying and minimal contamination by paint particles. It was evident that the distribution of air along the aircraft exterior was more effective at angles of 0° and 22.5°. At 45° the airflow was directed away from the aircraft resulting in the circulation of air inside the hangar area. It was concluded that the diffuser can be remodeled in such a way that center of the diffuser is at 0° and 22.5° towards the corners in order to distribute air evenly into the hangar area for effective drying of the paint.
The drying of paint on fuselage depends on the airflow from the outside through strategic openings. A 3D model of the aircraft was developed with open airflow passages. The analysis was conducted for 7 different scenarios where in the pilot and rear doors were closed randomly. The analysis identified the best scenario for uniform distribution within the aircraft. Two major constraints were to maintain a minimum velocity of 100fpm throughout the inside of the aircraft and 12000 cfm of air at each exit (dog houses). The study showed that an external airflow distributed at 0° and 22.5° provided the best scenario for the airflow inside with all doors open.

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Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.